Buy now option from map view

ABSTRACT

Product search results may be presented to a user via a map view, with merchants selling a selected product displayed on a map. A buy now button may be displayed for a merchant within the map view, allowing the user to execute a purchase transaction directly from the map view.

BACKGROUND

The advent of mobile devices with location determination capabilitieshas sparked development of a wide variety of mechanisms to presentsearch results, and particularly for search results of a product topurchase. For example, users wishing to purchase a particular productcan perform a search on the product and receive results, with theresults presented in a split screen view having a list of storescarrying the product on one side and a map showing the locations of thestores on the other side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a network diagram depicting a networked or network basedsystem, according to an example embodiment, having a client-serverarchitecture configured for exchanging data over a network.

FIG. 2 is a screen capture illustrating output of a method, inaccordance with an example embodiment, of presenting product searchresults.

FIG. 3 is a screen capture illustrating example output of a method, inaccordance with an example embodiment, of a first step of purchasing aselected item.

FIG. 4 is a screen capture illustrating additional example output of amethod, in accordance with an example embodiment, of purchasing aselected item.

FIG. 5 is a screen capture illustrating additional example output of amethod, in accordance with an example embodiment, of purchasing aselected item.

FIG. 6 is a screen capture illustrating example output of a method, inaccordance with another example embodiment, of a first step ofpurchasing a selected item.

FIG. 7 is an interaction diagram illustrating a method, in accordancewith an example embodiment, of presenting product search results.

FIG. 8 is an interaction diagram illustrating a method, in accordancewith another example embodiment, of presenting product search results.

FIG. 9 is an interaction diagram illustrating a method, in accordancewith another example embodiment, of presenting product search results.

FIG. 10 is an interaction diagram illustrating a method, in accordancewith another example embodiment, of presenting product search results.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a method, in accordance with anexample embodiment, of presenting product search results.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating a method, in accordance withanother example embodiment, of presenting product search results.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating a method, in accordance withanother example embodiment, of presenting product search results.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating a method, in accordance with anexample embodiment, of presenting product search results.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating a method, in accordance withanother example embodiment, of presenting product search results.

FIG. 16 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exampleform of a computer system within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows includes illustrative systems, methods,techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine programproducts that embody illustrative embodiments. In the followingdescription, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details areset forth in order to provide an understanding of various embodiments ofthe inventive subject matter. It will be evident, however, to thoseskilled in the art that embodiments of the inventive subject matter maybe practiced without these specific details. In general, well-knowninstruction instances, protocols, structures, and techniques have notbeen shown in detail.

Although the present embodiments have been described with reference tospecific example embodiments, it will be evident that variousmodifications and changes may be made to these embodiments withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the embodiments.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

In an example embodiment, a user performing a search on a product, wherethe search results are presented in a manner that includes a map showinglocations where the product may be purchased, may be presented with anoption to purchase the item using a button presented in the map view.Activation of the button brings the user either directly or indirectly(such as through a log-in page) to a payment page or shopping cartcheckout where payment options may be selected.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram depicting a networked or network-basedsystem, according to an example embodiment, having a client-serverarchitecture configured for exchanging data over a network. For example,the network system 100 may include a network-based publisher 102 whereclients may communicate and exchange data within the network system 100.The data may pertain to various functions (e.g., online item purchases)and aspects (e.g., managing content and user reputation values)associated with the network system 100 and its users. Althoughillustrated herein as a client-server architecture as an example, otherembodiments may include other network architectures, such as apeer-to-peer or distributed network environment.

A data exchange platform, in an example form of a network-basedpublisher 102, may provide server-side functionality, via a network 104(e.g., the Internet) to one or more clients. The one or more clients mayinclude users that utilize the network system 100 and more specifically,the network-based publisher 102, to exchange data over the network 104.These transactions may include transmitting, receiving (communicating)and processing data to, from, and regarding content and users of thenetwork system 100. The data may include, but are not limited to,content and user data such as feedback data; user reputation values;user profiles; user attributes; product and service reviews andinformation, such as pricing and descriptive information; product,service, manufacture, and vendor recommendations and identifiers;product and service listings associated with buyers and sellers; auctionbids; and transaction data, among other things.

In various embodiments, the data exchanges within the network system 100may be dependent upon user-selected functions available through one ormore client or user interfaces (UIs). The UIs may be associated with aclient machine, such as a client machine 106 using a web client 110. Theweb client 110 may be in communication with the network-based publisher102 via a web server 120. The UIs may also be associated with a clientmachine 108 using a programmatic client 112, such as a clientapplication, or a third party server or a mobile device 132 hosting athird party application 116. It can be appreciated in variousembodiments the client machine 106, 108, or third party application 116may be associated with a buyer, a seller, a third party electroniccommerce platform, a payment service provider, or a shipping serviceprovider, each in communication with the network-based publisher 102 andoptionally each other. The buyers and sellers may be any one ofindividuals, merchants, or service providers, among other things.

A mobile device 132 may also be in communication with the network-basedpublisher 102 via a web server 120. The mobile device 132 may include aportable electronic device providing at least some of thefunctionalities of the client machines 106 and 108. The mobile device132 may include a third party application 116 (or a web client 110)configured to communicate with application server 122. Although only onemobile device 132 is shown, it will be appreciated that in practicethere may be many mobile devices 132. That is, as used herein, the term“mobile device 132” may include plural mobile devices 132, depending oncontext. In some instances herein, the mobile device 132 may be referredto as a “user device.” Further, as is well known in the art, the mobiledevices 132, and non-mobile devices as well, may be in contact with aGPS (global positioning system) or other suitable technology fordetermining the location of such devices.

Turning specifically to the network-based publisher 102, an applicationprogram interface (API) server 118 and a web server 120 are coupled to,and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectively to, one or moreapplication servers 122. The application servers 122 host one or morepublication application(s) 124. The application servers 122 are, inturn, shown to be coupled to one or more database server(s) 126 thatfacilitate access to one or more database(s) 128.

In one embodiment, the web server 120 and the API server 118 communicateand receive data pertaining to listings, transactions, and feedback,among other things, via various user input tools. For example, the webserver 120 may send and receive data to and from a toolbar or webpage ona browser application (e.g., web client 110) operating on a clientmachine (e.g., client machine 106). The API server 118 may send andreceive data to and from an application (e.g., programmatic client 112or third party application 116) running on another client machine (e.g.,client machine 108 or a third party server).

The publication application(s) 124 may provide a number of publisherfunctions and services (e.g., listing, payment, etc.) to users thataccess the network-based publisher 102. For example, the publicationapplication(s) 124 may provide a number of services and functions tousers for listing goods and/or services for sale, facilitatingtransactions, and reviewing and providing feedback about transactionsand associated users.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a third party application 116 that may executeon a third party server and may have programmatic access to thenetwork-based publisher 102 via the programmatic interface provided bythe API server 118. For example, the third party application 116 may useinformation retrieved from the network-based publisher 102 to supportone or more features or functions on a website hosted by the thirdparty. The third party website may, for example, provide one or morelisting, feedback, publisher or payment functions that are supported bythe relevant applications of the network-based publisher 102.

The network-based publisher 102 may provide a multitude of feedback,reputation, aggregation, listing, and price-setting mechanisms whereby auser may be a seller or buyer who lists or buys goods and/or services(e.g., for sale) published by the network-based publisher 102.

FIG. 2 is a screen capture illustrating output 200 of a method, inaccordance with an example embodiment, of presenting product searchresults. The output 200 includes a split screen, including a storelisting 202 and a map view 204. The store listing 202 displays a list ofstores having a selected product in stock. The map view 204 displaysvarious locations 206 a-206 f where the selected product is in stock.These locations 206 a-206 f represent the locations of the stores in thestore listing 202, to the extent they are present within the confines ofthe current map shown in the map view 204.

Also displayed in the map view 204 is a store window 208. The storewindow 208 appears when the user navigates a pointer over one of thelocations 206 b on the map (the store window 208 can either pop upautomatically when the navigation is made, or may appear when the userclicks on the location 206 b using a mouse or similar input device). Thestore window 208 includes the store name 210 corresponding to thelocation 206 b, the price 212 of the item, the address 214 of the store,the phone number 216 of the store, and the hours of the store 218. Alsopresent in the store window 208 are a get directions button 220 and abuy now button 222. Selecting on the get directions button 220 brings upa navigation screen where directions to the store are presented, eithergraphically or textually (or both). Selecting on the buy now button 222acts to activate a first step in purchasing the selected item from theselected store.

In various different example embodiments, the first step activated bythe user selecting the buy now button 222 can vary greatly. FIG. 3 is ascreen capture illustrating example output 300 of a method, inaccordance with an example embodiment, of a first step of purchasing aselected item. In one example embodiment, the buy now button 222 causesoutput 300 with the selected item to be added to a shopping cart 302 ofa store web site 304 corresponding to the selected store. As will bedescribed later, this may involve executing one or more applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) or pre-established web links that open thestore web site. Notably, since the item has already been added to theshopping cart 302, the user may select shipping options.

FIG. 4 is a screen capture illustrating additional example output 400 ofa method, in accordance with an example embodiment, of purchasing aselected item. Here, the output 400 produces an area 402 where the useris requested to enter log-in information (or create a new account). Manystore web sites request this type of information to check out. It shouldbe noted that in some embodiments, the log-in step can be avoided bypassing log-in information to the store web site when the user clicksthe buy now button 222. This may be accomplished by, for example,storing the log-in information in a data structure, such as a cookie,and configuring the buy now button 222 to retrieve the data structureand pass it to the store web site when activated.

FIG. 5 is a screen capture illustrating additional example output 500 ofa method, in accordance with an example embodiment, of purchasing aselected item. Here, the output 500 produces a payment options area 502and billing address 504 area, where the user can select a method ofpayment and an address corresponding to the method of payment. Onceagain, in some embodiments this step can be avoided by passing theinformation at the time the user clicks the buy now button 222. Forexample, the user could store credit card and billing addressinformation in a data structure on a user device, and the buy now button222 can be configured to retrieve this data structure and pass it to thestore web site when activated.

The result is that the user has easily purchased the item from a mapview of a product search results web page.

It should be noted that there may be some instances where a local storedoes not have the item in stock. In such instances, when the userselects on a “buy now” button for a store that is far from his or herlocation (as defined by, for example, a distance radius configurable bythe user), then the user may be prompted with shipping options. Theseoptions may include, for example, picking the item up at a local store(different than the one in which the store is ordered), shipping theproduct to the user's home, and shipping the product to a depot forpickup.

FIG. 6 is a screen capture illustrating example output 600 of a method,in accordance with another example embodiment, of a first step ofpurchasing a selected item. Here, the payment method is already known,either via storage of the payment information locally, by virtue of thefact that the store only takes one form of payment, or by virtue of thestore website preconfiguring the payment options for the user. Theresult is that this output 600 is presented immediately upon the userclicking the buy now button 222. The resulting output 600 containspreconfigured information, and thus the user need simply hit a confirmpayment button 602 to confirm the transaction and complete the purchase.

Configuring the buy now button 222 may be performed in a number ofdifferent ways, depending on embodiment. Many store web sites can beaccessed via either APIs or by direct links. APIs are procedures of codethat, when executed, permit data to be passed back and forth. An API,for example, may allow an end user device to directly access a databaseoperated by a store (to retrieve information, for example, and populatea web page).

FIG. 7 is an interaction diagram illustrating a method 700, inaccordance with an example embodiment, of presenting product searchresults. The method 700 involves a web browser 702, a web server 704, aproduct database 706, a buy now execution module 708, a merchantdatabase 710, and a merchant web site 712. It should be noted that whilethese are presented as separate components, in some embodiments one ormore of these components may be located on the same device. For example,the web server 704 may be located on the same physical server as theproduct database 706, buy now execution module 708 and merchant database710.

At 714, a user may perform a product search by entering a search query.This search query can take many forms, including text-based queries,graphical queries, or link-based queries. At 716, the web server 704acts to retrieve various search results from the product database 706based on the query. At 718, search results are returned to the webserver 704. At 720, the web server 704 forms a web page containing thesearch results in a map view. This may include presenting the searchresults as selectable locations in the map view, with the selectablelocations each including a buy now button. At 722, the web page isreturned to the web browser 702.

At 724, the user selects a search result and a corresponding buy nowbutton. At 726, the web server 704 passes the selected search result tothe buy now execution module 708. At 728, the buy now execution module708 retrieves a merchant entry from the merchant database 710, themerchant entry corresponding to the merchant pertaining to the searchresult (i.e., the merchant selling the selected product). At 730, themerchant entry is returned to the buy now execution module 708. Themerchant entry may, in some embodiments, be a data structure such as arecord that includes information about how the buy now execution module708 should execute a purchase. Since each merchant web site 712 may bedifferent, how the buy now execution module 708 must process thetransaction may differ greatly depending on the merchant. For example,one merchant web site may use certain APIs and another merchant web sitemay use different APIs. Yet another merchant web site may use direct URLlinks in order to facilitate a purchase. This type of information may bestored in the merchant entry as instructions. At 732, the buy nowexecution module 708 may execute the instructions from the merchantentry, thus facilitating the purchase of the selected item from theselected search result. In this embodiment, an API call is made to themerchant web site 712 to add the selected item to a shopping cart forthe selected merchant web site.

FIG. 8 is an interaction diagram illustrating a method 800, inaccordance with another example embodiment, of presenting product searchresults. The method 800 involves a web browser 802, a web server 804, aproduct database 806, a merchant database 808, and a merchant web site810. At 812, a user may perform a product search by entering a searchquery. This search query can take many forms, including text-basedqueries, graphical queries, or link-based queries. At 814, the webserver 804 acts to retrieve various search results from the productdatabase 806 based on the query. At 816, search results are returned tothe web server 804. At 818, the web server 804 requests merchant entriesfor each merchant corresponding to a returned search result from themerchant database 810. At 820, the merchant entries are returned. At822, the web server 804 forms a web page containing the search resultsin a map view. This may include presenting the search results asselectable locations in the map view, with the selectable locations eachincluding a buy now button, and the buy now button for each selectablelocation having a script associated with it that is based on theinformation from the corresponding merchant entry. For example, themerchant entry for a particular merchant may indicate a certainspecialized URL is utilized when the buy now button is clicked. Thisspecialized URL then may be part of the script associated with anysearch results pertaining to that particular merchant. At 824, the webpage is returned to the web browser 802.

At 826, the user selects a search result and a corresponding buy nowbutton. This causes the execution of the corresponding script, whichpasses parameters to the specialized URL at the merchant web site 810,thus facilitating the purchase of the selected item from the selectedsearch result.

FIG. 9 is an interaction diagram illustrating a method 900, inaccordance with another example embodiment, of presenting product searchresults. The method 900 involves a client application 902, a serverapplication 904, a product database 906, a buy now execution module 908,a merchant database 910, and a merchant application 912. While thedisclosure thus far discusses making purchases on store web sites, thereis no necessity that web sites or the World Wide Web be involved at all.For example, in a mobile environment, a specialized non-web browserclient application may be used to present product search results in amap view. When the user clicks on a buy now button in the map view, anew window may be brought up allowing the user to check out and purchasethe item from the selected store. This all may be accomplished via APIsfor the store's databases, which allow the specialized non-web browserapplication to directly retrieve the appropriate information tofacilitate checking out without ever needing to involve a web page orweb browser. FIG. 9 illustrates this embodiment.

At 914, a user may perform a product search by entering a search query.This search query can take many forms, including text-based queries,graphical queries, or link-based queries. At 916, the server application904 acts to retrieve various search results from the product database906 based on the query. At 918, search results are returned to theserver application 904. At 920, the server application 904 returns thesearch results to the client application 902. At 922, the clientapplication 902 presents the search results in a map view. This mayinclude presenting the search results as selectable locations in the mapview, with the selectable locations each including a buy now button.

At 924, the user selects a search result and a corresponding buy nowbutton. At 926, the server application 904 passes the selected searchresult to the buy now execution module 908. At 928, the buy nowexecution module 908 retrieves a merchant entry from the merchantdatabase 910, the merchant entry corresponding to the merchantpertaining to the search result (i.e., the merchant selling the selectedproduct). At 930, the merchant entry is returned to the buy nowexecution module 908. At 932, the buy now execution module 908 mayexecute the instructions from the merchant entry, thus facilitating thepurchase of the selected item from the selected search result. In thisembodiment, an API call is made to the merchant application 912 toarrange to purchase the item corresponding to the selected searchresult.

FIG. 10 is an interaction diagram illustrating a method 1000, inaccordance with another example embodiment, of presenting product searchresults. The method 1000 involves a web browser 1002, a web server 1004,a product database 1006, a merchant database 1008, and a merchant website 1010.

At 1012, a user may perform a product search by entering a search query.This search query can take many forms, including text-based queries,graphical queries, or link-based queries. At 1014, the web server 1004acts to retrieve various search results from the product database 1006based on the query. At 1016, search results are returned to the webserver 1004. At 1018, the web server 1004 requests merchant entries foreach merchant corresponding to a returned search result from themerchant database 1008. At 1020, the merchant entries are returned. At1022, the web server 1004 returns information necessary for, at 1024,the web browser 1002 to display the search results in a map view. Thismay include presenting the search results as selectable locations in themap view, with the selectable locations each including a buy now button,and the buy now button for each selectable location having a scriptassociated with it that is based on the information from thecorresponding merchant entry. For example, the merchant entry for aparticular merchant may indicate a certain specialized URL is utilizedwhen the buy now button is clicked. This specialized URL then may bepart of the script associated with any search results pertaining to thatparticular merchant. At 1024, the user selects a search result and acorresponding buy now button. This causes the execution of thecorresponding script, which passes parameters to the specialized URL atthe merchant web site 1010, thus facilitating the purchase of theselected item from the selected search result.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1100, in accordance withan example embodiment, of presenting product search results. The method1100 may be performed by, for example, a server. At 1102, a search queryis received from a client device. At 1104, search results correspondingto the search query are obtained, each search result identifying amerchant. At 1106, merchant information for one or more of theidentified merchants from the search results may be retrieved from amerchant database. At 1108, a web page may be formed presenting thesearch results in a map view, wherein the map view includes a selectablelocation and a buy now button for each search result.

The buy now button may be formed using the merchant information for themerchant identified for the corresponding search result and, whenselected, causes a purchase transaction to be initiated on a merchantweb site.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1200, in accordance withanother example embodiment, of presenting product search results. Themethod 1200 may be performed by, for example, a server. At 1202, asearch query is received from a client device. At 1204, search resultscorresponding to the search query are obtained, each search resultidentifying a merchant. At 1206, a web page may be formed presenting thesearch results in a map view, wherein the map view includes a selectablelocation and a buy now button for each search result. The buy now buttoncauses, when selected, a purchase command to be issued.

At 1208, the purchase command is received. At 1210, merchant informationfor one or more of the identified merchants from the search results isretrieved from a merchant database. At 1212, a purchase transaction maybe initiated on a merchant web site using the merchant information.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1300, in accordance withanother example embodiment, of presenting product search results. Themethod 1300 may be performed by, for example, a server. At 1302, asearch query is received from a client device. At 1304, search resultscorresponding to the search query are obtained, each search resultidentifying a merchant. At 1306, the search results are sent to theclient device to be presented in a map view, wherein the map viewincludes a selectable location and a buy now button for each searchresult, wherein the buy now button is formed using the merchantinformation for the merchant identified for the corresponding searchresult and, when selected, causes a purchase command to be issued. At1308, the purchase command is received. At 1310, merchant informationfor one or more of the identified merchants from the search results isretrieved from a merchant database. At 1312, a purchase transaction isinitiated using the merchant information.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1400, in accordance withan example embodiment, of presenting product search results. The method1400 may be performed by, for example, a client device. At 1402, anindication is received from a user as to a product of interest. At 1404,a search query is formed based on the indication. At 1406, the searchquery is sent to a server. At 1408, search results are received from theserver, the search results including merchant information. The merchantinformation can include a location and purchase instructions. At 1410,the search results are presented in a map view. The map view may includea selectable location for each search result using the location from themerchant information and a buy now button for each search result usingthe purchase instructions for the merchant identified for thecorresponding search result.

At 1412, a selection of a buy now button is received. At 1414, apurchase from a merchant associated with the merchant information isinitiated by executing the purchase instructions contained in themerchant information.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1500, in accordance withanother example embodiment, of presenting product search results. Themethod 1500 may be performed by, for example, a client device. At 1502,an indication is received from a user as to a product of interest. At1504, a search query is formed based on the indication. At 1506, thesearch query is sent to a server. At 1508, search results are receivedfrom the server, the search results including merchant information. Themerchant information can include a location. At 1510, the search resultsare presented in a map view. The map view may include a selectablelocation for each search result using the location from the merchantinformation and a buy now button for each search result

At 1512, a selection of a buy now button is received. At 1514, apurchase from a merchant associated with the merchant information isinitiated by, for example, sending instructions to a buy now executionmodule.

FIG. 16 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exampleform of a computer system 1600 within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed. In alternative embodiments, themachine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g.,networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine mayoperate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-clientnetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment. The machine may be a server computer,a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box(STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a webappliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a singlemachine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude any collection of machines that individually or jointly executea set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 1600 includes a processor 1602 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU) a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both),a main memory 1604 and a static memory 1606, which communicate with eachother via a bus 1608. The computer system 1600 may further include avideo display unit 1610 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or acathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 1600 also includes analphanumeric input device 1612 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 1614 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 1616, a signal generationdevice 1618 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device 1620.

The disk drive unit 1616 includes a machine-readable medium 1622 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 1624)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein. The software 1624 may also reside, completely or at leastpartially, within the main memory 1604, static memory 1606 and/or withinthe processor 1602 during execution thereof by the computer system 1600,the main memory 1604, static memory 1606 and the processor 1602 alsoconstituting machine-readable media.

The software 1624 may further be transmitted or received over a network1626 via the network interface device 1620.

While the machine-readable medium 1622 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present invention. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to,solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media.

Although the present invention has been described with reference tospecific example embodiments, it will be evident that variousmodifications and changes may be made to these embodiments withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 107 C.F.R.§1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separate embodiment.

1. A method of presenting product search results, the method comprising:receiving a search query from a client device; obtaining search resultscorresponding to the search query, each search result identifying amerchant; retrieving merchant information from a merchant database forone or more of the identified merchants from the search results; andforming a web page presenting the search results in a map view, whereinthe map view includes a selectable location and a buy now button foreach search result, wherein the buy now button is formed using themerchant information for the merchant identified for the correspondingsearch result and, when selected, causes a purchase transaction to beinitiated on a merchant web site.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein themerchant information includes an application programming interface (API)call that, when executed, adds a product corresponding to a selectedsearch result to a shopping cart of a merchant identified by theselected search result.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchantinformation includes a uniform resource locator (URL) that, whenfollowed, adds a product corresponding to a selected search result to ashopping cart of a merchant identified by the selected search result. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the initiation of the purchasetransaction includes adding a product corresponding to a selected searchresult to a shopping cart of a merchant identified by the selectedsearch result.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiation of thepurchase transaction includes opening a payment screen from a paymentcompany, wherein the payment screen asks for confirmation of a paymentand, when the payment is confirmed, executes a payment from an accountto a merchant identified by the selected search result.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the initiation of the purchase transaction furtherincludes passing information regarding log-in information for a user ofthe client device to the merchant web site.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the log-in information is stored in a cookie on the clientdevice, the cookie corresponding to the merchant web site.
 8. A methodof presenting product search results, the method comprising: receiving asearch query from a client device; obtaining search resultscorresponding to the search query, each search result identifying amerchant; forming a web page presenting the search results in a mapview, wherein the map view includes a selectable location and a buy nowbutton for each search result, wherein the buy now button is formedusing merchant information for the merchant identified for thecorresponding search result and, when selected, causes a purchasecommand to be issued; receiving the purchase command; retrievingmerchant information from a merchant database for one or more of theidentified merchants from the search results; and initiating a purchasetransaction on a merchant web site using the merchant information, inresponse to receiving the purchase command.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the merchant information includes an API call.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the merchant information includes a URL.
 11. A methodof presenting product search results, the method comprising: receiving asearch query from a client device; obtaining search resultscorresponding to the search query, each search result identifying amerchant; sending the search results to the client device to bepresented in a map view, wherein the map view includes a selectablelocation and a buy now button for each search result, wherein the buynow button is formed using merchant information for the merchantidentified for the corresponding search result and, when selected,causes a purchase command to be issued; receiving the purchase command;retrieving merchant information from a merchant database for one or moreof the identified merchants from the search results; and initiating apurchase transaction on a merchant web site using the merchantinformation, in response to the receiving the purchase command.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the client device is a mobile device.
 13. Amethod of presenting product search results, the method comprising:receiving an indication from a user as to a product of interest; forminga search query based on the indication; sending the search query to aserver; receiving search results from the server, the search resultsincluding merchant information, the merchant information including alocation and purchase instructions; presenting the search results in amap view, wherein the map view includes a selectable location for eachsearch result using the location from the merchant information and a buynow button for each search result using the purchase instructions forthe merchant identified for the corresponding search result; receiving aselection of the buy now button; and initiating a purchase from amerchant associated with the merchant information, wherein theinitiating includes executing the purchase instructions contained in themerchant information.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method isexecuted by a non-browser application.
 15. A method of presentingproduct search results, the method comprising: receiving an indicationfrom a user as to a product of interest; forming a search query based onthe indication; sending the search query to a server; receiving searchresults from the server, the search results including merchantinformation, the merchant information including a location; presentingthe search results in a map view, wherein the map view includes aselectable location for each search result using the location from themerchant information and a buy now button for each search result;receiving a selection of the buy now button; and initiating a purchasefrom a merchant associated with the merchant information, in response toreceiving the selection.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein theinitiating includes sending instructions to a buy now execution module.17. A client device including: processor; memory; an applicationconfigured to: receive an indication from a user as to a product ofinterest; form a search query based on the indication; send the searchquery to a server; receive search results from the server, the searchresults including merchant information, the merchant informationincluding a location; present the search results in a map view, whereinthe map view includes a selectable location for each search result usingthe location from the merchant information and a buy now button for eachsearch result; and initiate a purchase from a merchant associated withthe merchant information.
 18. The client device of claim 17, wherein theapplication is a web browser.
 19. The client device of claim 17, whereinthe application is a non-browser application.
 20. A server comprising: aprocessor; a memory; a server application; a product database; amerchant database; a buy now execution module; the server applicationconfigured to: receive a search query from a client device; obtainsearch results corresponding to the search query from the merchantdatabase, each search result identifying a merchant; sending the searchresults to the client device to be presented in a map view, wherein themap view includes a selectable location and a buy now button for eachsearch result, wherein the buy now button is formed using merchantinformation for the merchant identified for the corresponding searchresult and, when selected, causes a purchase command to be issued; thebuy now execution module configured to: receive the purchase command;retrieve merchant information from the merchant database for one or moreof the identified merchants from the search results; and initiate apurchase transaction in accordance with the purchase command using themerchant information.